Resilient abch-sutport



C. E. HILTON. RESILIENT ARCH SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3. m1.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

C] How 121 THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII' cm, WASHINGTON, m c.

CLEMENT E. HILTON, OF WEST COLLINGSWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 16, 1919.

Application filed October 8, 1917. Serial No. 195,241.

To allcchom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENT E. HILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at 328 Cattell Av., W. Collingswood, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Itesilient Arch-Support, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of my invention is to support the arch of the foot without restricting its motion and, by an arrangement of springs, to effect normal exercise of the muscles.

A. further purpose is to support the inner side of the arch of the foot resiliently, While allowing the outer side of the foot to lie in its normal position, substantially in a plane extending from the heel along the outer side of the foot, this effecting a perfect balance and distribution of weight.

A further purpose is to make part of the resilient arch support movable or removable with respect to the rest, so as to facilitate separate bending of these parts.

A further purpose is to utilize leaf springs for resilient support and distribute their bearing points to secure maximum efficiency and minimum weight.

A further purpose is to'provide adjustment of spring support by adjusting the distance between the bearings of the leaves or springs and the contiguous leaves or plates against which they rest.

It Further purposes will appear inthe specification .and in the claims thereof.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by but a single one among the various forms in which it may appear, selecting a construction which has proved in actual use to be practical, efficient and inexpensive and which at the same time well illustrates the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment of my arch support.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure seen in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 1 are sections upon lines 33 and d-4 of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 11s a top plan view of an intermediate spring which I prefer to use.

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding with Fig. 1 but with the parts in different positions.

The outer sideof the foot does not have an arch at all and requires no support nor assistance of any character, but should be allowed to lie in its normal. position substantially within the same plane as the outer side of the heel and the side of the front part of the foot. Again, the arch itself is most desirably not propped, but is best merely returned to its natural and proper position after the depression due to resting the weight of the body upon the foot. My invention is based upon the recognition of these two facts. I prefer not to lift the outer part of the foot at the arch and provide a resilient support intended to exercise the plantar muscles, at all times suiting the resilient pressure to the need and returning the arch to the position which it should occupy when at rest, without regard to the position which it may have assumed during the pressure upon the foot.

I11 the drawings, similar numerals indioate like parts.

In the preferred form the leather top facing pad 5 is of the usual shape and thick ness, filling the rear portion of the bottom and inner side of the shoe from a point at the back of the heel to a beveled edge 6 in front of the instep. For purposes of rearwardly adjusting the arch I mark contour lines 7 to which the heel may be cut to alter the position of the arch support with respect to the foot.

Upon the under side of this facing I mount a plantar support or plate 8, which I make of spring material, in order to secure the advantage of the resilience of the main or body portlon thereof as a leaf spring, glvlng 1t bearing agalnst another plate or spring near its outer ends 9 and 10.

The top is flared at its inner and upper edge and is preferably slitted at several points, such as 11, 12, 13 to prevent it from acting as a flange to stiffen the body.

The holes 14 pass through both the metal and the leather and provide ventilation. The air beneath is pumped through them against the bottom of the foot.

The ends of the plantar plate or spring are rested as at 15 and 16, upon an under spring 17, at points uch as 18 and 19, far enough from the ends 20, 21 to permit spring action of the material of spring 17 both in side and outside of these resting points; and

the eXtreme outer ends of the spring 17 are against adjusting devices carried thereby, the resting points being so located between the ends and the center on each side as to take full advantage of the spring action of the lower spring 17. The central part of the intermediate spring bears on its upper side, as at 25, against the under side of the main body portion of the plantar spring.

In order to secure additional adjustment between the intermediate spring and the lower spring, I thread adjusting screws, such as 26 and 27 through the lower spring at the proper points. The most convenient and eflective means of securing this threading for the adjusting screws is to punch out the material of the spring 17 in the form of reinforced cups which offer a greater thickness for tapping than the original metal.

In fastening the parts together the leather and the plantar spring are rigidly secured to each other at the ends, as by rivets 28. A- rivet 29 passes through the upper and lower springs and forms a pivot for the latter, by which it can be turned angularly to the position seen in Fig. 6. Suitable spacing is given between the two springs at the rivet to allow for the intermediate spring which is notched at 30 to engage the side of this rivet.

Latching mechanism is provided for retaining the under spring in the position with respect to the plantar spring as shown in Fig. 1. A convenient form of latch shown in the figures comprises a projection 31 from the plantar spring which passes through a kerfor notch 32 in the intermediate spring and, in the position shown in Fig. 1, fits into a depression 33 in the upper side of the under spring, 'frictionally locking the parts together, but permitting the under spring to be sprung laterally and then turned a11- gularly to any desired extent. When in the position shown in Fig. 6, the intermediate spring can be removed, bent and replaced, and the under and'plantar springs are separately accessible for hand bending to any permanent contour required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an arch support, a pad adapted to engage the foot, an upper spring secured thereto, a lower spring pivoted to the upper spring to move angularly with respect there to and an intermediate spring held in position against removal by the lower spring in its normal position, but removable in an abnormal angular position of said lower spring with respect to said upper spring.

2. In an arch support, a pad adapted to engage the foot, an upper member outlining the intended contour of the foot, a lower member of spring material pivot-ed thereto and a spring removably secured between the two members, removable in one position of the lower member and retained in place in another position thereof.

3. In an arch support, a pad adapted to engage the foot, upper and lower springs afiording support thereto and an intermediate spring removably secured between the upper and lower springs.

1. In an arch support, a pad adapted to engage the foot of the wearer, a plurality oi springs supporting the pad and adjustable means located between the springs and forming eflective engagement between them for varying the extent of spacing given said springs by changing the distance between the springs at these points of eiiective engagement.

5. In an arch support, a pad adapted to engage the foot of the wearer, a member curved at the side to support the instep ot the wearer, a spring whose middle portion engages said member, a second spring against which the first spring is adapted to bear and adjustable connections between the two springs varying the distance of the actual terminals of the first spring from the second spring.

CLEMENT E. HILTON.

-Witness: Y

J. LUTHERIA KAUFFMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

